I Like the Rain

You can almost hear the rush and gush of water as you read I Like the Rain.

This is a wonderful picture book for reading aloud because of its lyrical rhyme and rhythm, which lends it a hypnotic and quietening quality, just like the sound of the rain itself: good material for when you need to bring a child’s energy down a notch, perhaps before naptime or bed. 

Rachel Oldfield’s hand-painted illustrations also add to the book’s immersive feel: everything seems hazy and soaked.

Saying that, it’s hard to resist adding some actions with text like this: ‘Bolts of lightning, flishing-flashing! Booming, bashing thunder crashing!’ You’ll be doing thunder handclaps or lightning zigzags with your arms before you know it…

By the end, the sun comes out and a rainbow appears – a possible prompt for asking why we have rainbows and what causes thunderstorms and what even is rain, anyway?! Luckily, the author has thought ahead and provides all the science facts in a handy two-pager.

This book conjures up everything that is fun about rain: splashing in puddles, dancing with umbrellas… The sort of things that children enjoy and adults can too quickly dismiss with their moans about bad weather.

But, of course, sometimes it’s nice to keep dry too: staying cosy inside, cuddled up, with a book like I Like The Rain.